Golf

EurAsia Cup: Stage is set for Asian golfers to shine

Up for grabs. The EurAsia Cup trophy that Team Asia and Team Europe will be vying for when the Ryder Cup-style tournament tees off at Glenmarie GCC on Thursday.

SUBANG: The stage is set for Asian golfers to come of age as they face off against Team Europe in the inaugural EurAsia Cup which starts at the Glenmarie Golf and Country Club on Thursday.

The three-day Ryder Cup-style event has been billed as the clash of the continents as both sides aim to win the title in what they say will be the start of a new era in golf.

Team Asia captain Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand said it is the perfect platform for Asian golfers to showcase their skills.

“A tournament like this, in the mould of the Ryder Cup, has a lot of potential. It is a huge step in the right direction considering that many Asian golfers are now playing in Europe and the US.

“We have a strong team to match Team Europe and our players are quite young. They may lack the experience of the European players but I believe we are in the right frame of mind to win the inaugural title,” he said.

Bangladesh’s Siddikur Rahman, a two-time Asian Tour winner, also believes the EurAsia Cup will showcase the emergence of Asian golf.

“We’ll do our best to win the EurAsia Cup. This is the first time we’re all coming together to play as a team and I’m confident that we can win,” he said.

Datuk Mohamed Razeek Md Hussain, chief operating officer of DRB-Hicom, is delighted that the group’s vision to support the tournament has been realised.

“It is a great opportunity to have two continents pit their skills against each other. DRB-Hicom will go down in history as the first to host the EurAsia Cup at Glenmarie and that’s an incredible premium to have,” he added.

And now it only needs to draw in the fans to make this a truly memorable first edition.